Seeking D/HH for a production of “Children of a Lesser God”
Seeking deaf or hard of hearing actors for a production of “Children of a Lesser God” at BRCC. There are three roles open and a stipend of $1,250 is provided for each. A similar stipend is provided for a company interpreter. The roles open are for Sarah, Orin, and Lydia. Production dates are March 15-20, 2016 on the Magnolia Theatre Main Stage. I am also looking for an area deaf organization that can act as a co-sponsor of this event or a school that might want to do this as a co-production.
I worked on the Dallas premiere of the play with the playwright, Mark Medoff and acted and directed several deaf theatre productions in the Dallas area. I am also developing an ASL class at BRCC and hope to have it in our curriculum by the fall of 2016.
It is imperative that any interested actors get in touch, asap. I must have all paperwork completed by February 1st for them to be paid. I don’t believe I can attract an appropriate performer without paying them and will have to cancel this production if I can’t find deaf and hard of hearing actors. I have a fallback plan but this is the play I’m fighting for.
I am open to suggestions and would love to hear from any of you. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.
(Publicity blurb)
BRCC Theatre presents Children of a Lesser God by Mark Medoff, an award winning play with three Tony Awards, a Drama Desk Award, an LA Critics Award, a Drama-Logue Award, three Olivier Awards in the West End, and five Oscar nominations for the film version with an Oscar going to Marlee Matlin, the first presented to a deaf performer. Performances are March 16th-20th on the Magnolia Theatre main stage at 7:30 pm with a 3:00 pm performance on Sunday March 20th. General admission is $10, $8 for students, and free for BRCC students. Dr. Tony E. Medlin directs and collaborated with Mark Medoff on the play’s Dallas premiere. Come experience the rich and complex world of silence and discover some of the daily challenges facing our deaf community.
Sincerely,
Dr. Tony E. Medlin
Assistant Professor of Theatre Arts
BRCC
[email protected]
225.362.7640
(Synopsis)
A memory play in the mind of James Leeds. After three years in the Peace Corps, he joins the faculty of a school for the deaf to teach lip-reading. He meets Sarah, a deaf from birth dropout, estranged from the hearing world and her hearing family. Struggling with sign language, James tries, with limited success, to bridge their differences. They fall in love and marry and at first it is a glowing relationship but the gulf of silence widens as Sarah becomes militant for deaf rights. The chasm between their worlds is too great for James to cross and they are exhausted by their cultural conflicts. Love and compassion hold a hope for reconciliation, and a deeper, fuller understanding of how they may reunite.
James Leeds–thirty-ish. A speech teacher at a State School for the Deaf.
Sarah Norman–mid-twenties. Deaf from birth.
Orin Dennis–in his twenties. Has some residual hearing; a lip reader.
Mrs. Norman–Sarah’s mother
Mr. Franklin–anywhere his early thirties to his mid-forties. The Supervising Teacher at the Deaf School.
Lydia–in her late teens. Has some residual hearing, a lip reader.
Edna Klein–thirty to forty. A lawyer.